Matt Harvey open to contract extension

Matt Harvey recently avoided arbitration with the New York Mets for the 2016 season and that now has him talking about a contract extension. Harvey won’t be a free agent after the 2018 so there’s plenty of time for contract talk. At this point Mets fans have to be happy that Matt is talking extension remember his agent is Scott Boras.

Matt Harvey seemingly left the door open to the possibility of signing a contract extension with the Mets.

“I think whatever comes up is going to come up,” Harvey said Monday morning. “I think I’ve never shied away from it, I’ve never said I wouldn’t consider it.” (Newsday)

Truthfully, at this point in time, I think it’s a longshot that Harvey signs with an extension with the Mets. Scott Boras’ clients typically hit the open market and sign one of the best deals available. If Harvey stays healthy and keeps improving he could be Boras’ biggest payday to date.

Harvey earned $614,125 last season and by avoiding arbitration got a raise to $4.325 million for the 2016 season. Matt has two more years of arbitration and should also earn hefty raises in those seasons too.

With the rapid increase of pitcher salaries would it be worth signing an extension now and get say $15-20 million during both of those seasons and say $25-30 million after that? If Boras waits and lets the market rate continue to rise he’d easily be able to get Harvey a contract in the $30-35 million a year range, possibly higher.

Again for the Mets its definitely got to be considered a positive that Harvey has left the door open for an extension. In reality though it’s best for him to concentrate on two things, staying healthy and improving.

There were concerns about his workload last season, 216 innings, and the stress it would cause on his arm. Those concerns won’t go away especially early on. The plus is that he feels great so far, so hopefully he can build upon his early success.

“It feels great,” said Harvey, who arrived at the team’s complex a few days before the start of workouts. “We did everything we possible could to manage going into the season. I felt great going into last year. But obviously this year, it’s nice knowing that [I had] a full season. Going into a fresh season, it’s nice, it feels great.” (Newsday)